So, here goes...I'm joining the masses in blogging my progress! I've been doing this weight lifting thang for about 3 weeks and already have (for me) amazing results! I've doing a combination of gym and home..I've been a bit unwell and going through a whole load of asthma tests and suffering with nasty chest infections. Royal pain in the behind to be honest as I feel it's held me back from making the amount of progress I could have done by now.

So, went to the gym yesterday and got my current stats, they're not toooo bad:

I turned vegan at the end of April this year, so it's been a whole new learning curve. I do some raw/plant based stuff and some high protein/low carb cooked stuff, which is really only steamed veggies, roasted tofu and quinoa porridge. I love fruit and ALL veg. I have sprouting jars on the go all the time and do hemp protein supplement shakes when I'm on a gym day. I have calcium/mag/Vit D supps and a good multi vit. Vit B6 and a ginkobiloba, flaxseed and guarana for that extra boost.

Today I ate:

Well, it's Sunday...so I have a brunch:

A big bowl of quinoa porridge made with flaked quinoaa peach and half a mangohandful of raisinsa sprinkle of coconutabout half a soya yoghurtSome sunflower seeds

then a Gillian McKeith energy bar made from loads of sprouted things

I nicked a couple of my son's chips (naughty naughty!) at the cafe this afternoon

Then I had a good meal of steam soya beans, mixed sprouts (mung, alfalfa, aduki, chickpea), spinach, peppers (sweet chili ones), and a few other bits and bobs.

I'm just sitting down to a cup of tea with soya milk and 1 square of very good locally made dark vegan chocolate (for my sins!)

About an hour after dinner I did a few reps- yesterday was my gym day so it wasn't too much tonight:

I'm royally knackered tonight. I managed to get to the gym today, my friend offered to look after my son so I could spend an hour there. I was still sore from the stuff I'd done at home yesterday...anyway,

I found I was more hungry today...didn't have time for the quinoa this morning so had a hemp prtein shake - it was absolutely rank and thickened up and went all moussey before I drank it. Yuckkk!!Had raw food energy bar before gym, then a soya yoghurt, some brazil nuts and dried figs after gym.Got home and had a bowl of mixed sprouted beans and quinoa, tomatoes and mushrooms.This evening I had the same as last night, soya beans, mixed sprouts and other salad bits and bobs.

Just had my ritual square of decent vegan choc witha cup of tea. Yum...evenings wouldn't be the same without!

Decided I wouldn't weigh myself or do body fat% for another 2 weeks. Had a chat with the fitness pro at the gym who said we could up my workout to burn some fat!! Sounds good...but I don't know if I'll be able to give the time committment.

I have a simple goal for now; get some decent biceps!lose about 3 % body fat..I'm not too sure how long that will take.

This blog must seem really boring compared to some of the others lifting huge weights and eating masses more than me to bulk up...ah well, I'll get my little body on it's way to 'muscle-dom'!!!

_________________Live and let live....Om Mani Padme Hum - Compassion and sincerity are the keys to serenity......

Hmmmmm, well I took advice from various people who seem to be looking in from time to time on some of my other posts...I have made a conscious effort to increase protein, lower carbs and fat.I have also done half an hour on my exercise bike..which I loathe, but I did get into eventually and managed to really inrease the effort levels to a 7. This is a real achievement for me!!

I'm still not sure if I have the food thing right...I don't have time to weigh anything out and I do so much cooking from scratch it would be difficult to work out the calories.Anyway, here goes for my food diary for today:

Bowl of melon and mangosoya protein shake - the hemp is just too hard to choke down!

The problem today is; I'm really full and feeling like I've eaten twice the amount I have. Reading back on what I ate, I'm pretty sure it's not overeating by a long shot. It's high in protein and fruit and veg....but nothing bad.

Very tired now, got to be up at 0630 for the monster child and work!

Back in the gym after work tomorrow too...

_________________Live and let live....Om Mani Padme Hum - Compassion and sincerity are the keys to serenity......

Sounds amazing, but assoon as I mix the hemp powder with juice, as is recommended on the tub..it turns very very quickly to this thick mousse like stuff-all frothy and very acidic almost rancid tasting. I did try addig berries, and a little honey. I usually have barley grass in my shakes too.So you know which product I'm on about, it's hemp isolate from Yaoh. I tried the nutrivita one too, that's very grainy and not as much protein as the isolate.How do you rate soya protein powder? I find it much more palatable.

Marcina wrote:

I mix hemp in a green smoothie with fruits. I add kale, frozen berries, avocado, fresh juice and blend. It's very yummy and you can't notice the kale or hemp protein.

_________________Live and let live....Om Mani Padme Hum - Compassion and sincerity are the keys to serenity......

Managed to get to the gym tonight...I wasn't really upto it. Ended up taking a couple of cold n flu capsules...aching and sore throat oh great!!! I only just got over a chest infection again. I think it's because I'm tired. It didn't stop me going to gym tho, I did my usual work out, just switched around a little.

Food has been ok today...except, I found sweets in the bottom of my work bag..and ate them!!! I did feel rather unwell and guilty.

I still haven't had too many calories...but it's the processed sugar I feel bad about. Oh well, no more where they came from. We live and learn!

_________________Live and let live....Om Mani Padme Hum - Compassion and sincerity are the keys to serenity......

I don't use isolates. Hemp is such a superfood that I wouldn't want to rob myself of the other benefits of it. Omega 3s for example. I use raw hemp powder and it gives me so much energy. As for soy isolate I've never tried it. Again, I'm not a fan of isolates and I have a sensitive digestive system, so the more unprocessed my food is, the better I feel.

I don't use isolates. Hemp is such a superfood that I wouldn't want to rob myself of the other benefits of it. Omega 3s for example. I use raw hemp powder and it gives me so much energy. As for soy isolate I've never tried it. Again, I'm not a fan of isolates and I have a sensitive digestive system, so the more unprocessed my food is, the better I feel.

Just out of interest which hemp powder do you use? I tried nutirivita and it was like drinking sand!The hemp isolate I have is raw also, just not entirely sure I can stomach it.I do obviously want the best for my body...I have plenty of omegas in my diet and take a vegan omega supplement too.

_________________Live and let live....Om Mani Padme Hum - Compassion and sincerity are the keys to serenity......

Back in the loop! This damn chest infection has been really getting me down. I would n't mind but generally I'm far more healthy than any of the meat eaters I know..I take all my supplements and still I get sick. I was meant to get to the gym on Friday but wasn't well enough...then went away Saturday overnight. I took my trusty exercise band...the stretchy kind that simulates resistance like when lifting weights etc. I did some of that in the hotel room and the ususual 100 crunches split down in to 2 x 30 and 1 x 40.

Food was hard work as we were short of time on Saturday. I was looking for a vegan/veggie take out outlet in Manchester, only to find it had closed down! So ended up with carbs - baeked potato with baked beans and a side salad. Better than nothing I guess. No veggie spread on the potato, and some vinaigrette on the salad which I manage to leave most of behind cos it was nearly swimming in it!

Sunday was another carby day...we went to our usual organic cafe in Manchester, homemade soup - and bread! I only ate a small amount of bread..then a bean wrap, carbs again!

I was still feeling under the weather lastnight so only managed my crunches yesterday. I have my gym stuff with me to go after work today. I don't seem to be coughing this morning..so I'll see how I go.

I'm also back to normal with my meals, I've packed my lunch - sproute mung beans and alfalfa with salad leave, sunflower seeds and tomatoes, a reduced fat dressing and some fruit. I'll have my protein drink this morning for breakfast, with the old barley grass powder. Tonight, not sure. I think maybe some marinated tofu.

OK, checking out for now.

_________________Live and let live....Om Mani Padme Hum - Compassion and sincerity are the keys to serenity......

Finally back to health.......I think! Yesterday I managed to a full gym workout. I got back to eating really well after my weekend of carbs, unintentional of course. I felt great this morning when I got up...the muscles have definitely been worked.I managed to up the weights on the inner and outer thigh machines to 45kg. I don't want to up i too much or my legs might expand rather than define!!

The usual workout then, 3 x 12 of everything! Then I got home and 3 x 12 screw biceps with 5kg plus some tricep back kicks also with 5kg. I also did some shoulder press lifts with the 5kgs...that was extremely tough!

Good to be back!A combination of my computer not working, and my asthma..I've been away from my blog. I'm finally 'back in the room' so to speak and raring to go!I have been working out quite a bit, and upping the weights little by little. I'm now doing a full 1 hour of mostly strength training, I only do a 5 minute cardio warm up.I've added in some machine/cable work as I find this gives me more of a stable and isolated training session. I realise that I will develop better balance with free weights, but I'm only 5'2" and I get a bit worried when I'm waving 8kg around over my head!!

I went on the fat perventage scales the other day, which was a bit of a silly experience. Despite my increase in muscle and especially width across my lats...weight remaining stable...the machine tried telling that my fat percentage had increased and I'd gained a whole KG of fat! I went to speak to the fitness instructors who told me I shouldn't really bother with the machines as their results and measurements can be so erratic . In actual fact when I did the whole measurement of fat percentage with a tape measure around my neck, middle, wrist, fore arm and hips I came up with an approx calc of around 17% body fat. Dunno if I did it right!

Food, well that's been a bit allover the place, but today I had a brunch of flaked quinoa prridge, soy yoghurt, seeds and strawberries.

I had some fruit this afternoon and then a good salad with al kids of stuff in it and some roasted marniated tofu. Yummy!

Hopefully I'll be able to carry this blogging on again now.

_________________Live and let live....Om Mani Padme Hum - Compassion and sincerity are the keys to serenity......

So, here I am again...back in the forum. Been away from here for a while, but that's not to say I haven't been working out. I've been exactly that..and more than before. I've also been studying for my master's degree...which I've really had enough of now and I'd much ratyher be in the gym in my spare time.

I've got to the point now where I don't how much of the weight on the scales is me and how much is the muscle I've developed over the last few months. There really is a marked difference and I wish I'd taken some 'before' pix to compare with.

I'm lifting more now too...I can do 2 x 7kg screw biceps and 2 x 5kg over the head chest press. I can lift a fair bit on some of the cable machines like 35kg on lat pull downs. I'm doing all kinds of crunches an ab workouts, usually in sets of 25 x 4. I do knee to chest and head to chest simultaneously...for extra pain!

Just came back from holiday in the South of France, took my resistance strap with me so I could train there too. Was still doing lunges, crunches and push ups. I got a real shock when I went to a kids playground, I went on the monkey bars as I wanted to see if I could pull myself up. Well, I couldn't quite do that, but I did manage it from the 'up' position rather than extended. So I held the bar above my head, clambered up with my feet so my arms were folded in and biceps clenched..then lowered myself slightly and managed to lift myself up 3 times!!! Man it hurt the next day!

Still same ole diet...quinoa, tofu, hemp protein and barley grass. Loadsa greens and few carbs and fat...high protein. I like it that way, I'm at my healthiest.

My behind and thighs are still needing work, but Rome wasn't built in a day!

It's high time I got some photos on here too

I just subscribed to VegNews...looking forward to getting all that thru the post.

I want to come over to the US and meet everyone there!!! Not many girls into body building around here. They all just think I'm at the gym to lose weight!!! I only weigh 44kgs!!!!

Plus, I only know 1 or 2 vegans, loadsa vegetarians. I did well on hols for food. Found a store selling tofu and soya yogz etc!!

Ok, so photo next. I'll see what I can do.

_________________Live and let live....Om Mani Padme Hum - Compassion and sincerity are the keys to serenity......

I thought I'd been doing this bodybuilding lark for about 5 or 6 months....but no, I'm mistaken. It's more like 3 months. Not long at all. I've made much more progress than I thought!Anyway, today, I just signed up for Melissa's online personal training program. So watch this space! 12 weeks of planning, training and eating well. We'll see what the results are. I must admit it's really tricky doing self portrait pix.

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_________________Live and let live....Om Mani Padme Hum - Compassion and sincerity are the keys to serenity......

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